Five Ways to get the Dog Ready for a New Baby

Introducing a baby into a household that all ready has a dog must be done carefully to manage the dog’s changing circumstances and his drop in status in the family. Many dogs are treated as “children” until a real child comes along. Then the dog’s changes to “pet.” The dog may end up resenting the child unless steps are taken to keep him engaged as part of the family. Here are five ways to do that and keep everyone happy.

Before the baby comes, you should brush up on your dog’s obedience skills. A good dog should have a “sit”, down-stay, a “wait” and a “place” cue that tells him to go someplace, such as his bed, until he is told he can leave that place. If your dog has never had obedience training, it is essential that you take a basic class now and make sure the dog learns these commands and obeys you every time you give them.
Go shopping for some basic pet supplies that will help you manage your dog and all his energy. First, you need a six foot leash, not a retractable one. Retractable leashes can fail to lock and give your dog too much room to move about too easily to be safe. You will also need some baby gates to put up to keep the dog and baby separated, but close enough to smell and see each other. Purchase a comfortable bed for the dog, preferably one with bolsters on it to keep out drafts. This is a place the dog will spend a lot of time, so make it as comfortable as possible for him. Finally, buy some of those toys that you stuff with treats or kibble and the food falls out as the dog manipulates the toy. This is a great way to keep your dog happily occupied while you change diapers or feed the baby.
Start getting the dog used to walking beside a stroller. At first, just let the dog sniff the stroller. Then move it very slowly and allow the dog to get used to the motion. Finally, push the stroller at normal speed and teach the dog to walk beside you. You can use treats liberally when teaching these different steps to teach you dog that being beside a stroller is a good thing.
Vary your dog’s schedule. Because of the baby, walks may not happen at exactly the time your dog is used to having them. Neither will meals. Start varying when these things happen while you are pregnant so the dog will not be so stressed when life changes from the baby. Also, do not shower the dog with attention now out of guilt from the coming baby. This will just make the jolt to his world that much larger. Keep the attention about the same level as it has always been and losing some of your attention will not be such a jolt for him.
Finally, praise proper behavior around the baby. This teaches the dog what you expect from him around the baby. It also pairs the praise with the baby’s presence so the dog learns that the baby is a good thing.

Dogs can learn to love babies if given some help. Just remember to never leave a child alone with a baby or small child. Always supervise them when they are together.